Every quarter we publish a Recruitment Review of jobseekers’ changing attitudes and behaviour, plus business confidence in the recruitment market. It’s produced for us by independent brand tracking agency HPI and helps us to better understand how candidates and recruiters are approaching the job market.
The Winter 2011 Recruitment Review has just been published and it has some interesting findings on the way that Jobseekers are approaching the market:
Looking for some fresh impetus in your job search? Read this guest post from Simon North, career expert and co-founder of career consulting company Position Ignition, who has some suggestions!
“CVs are so yesterday! For as long as we can remember, the CV has been the ‘passport’ to jobs and to work. But it is such a one-dimensional document in so many ways. It usually starts at the moment where we’ve finished full-time education and ends up being a list of jobs that we’ve done for different organisations. It has its use as far as it goes; which frankly isn’t very far.
Those reading it (in the recruitment sector particularly) probably spend less than 1 minute reading the cover letter and the CV (typically 2-pages). These days it’s probably nearer 30 to 40 seconds, including the click-through from one document to the other. How does your CV ever get through to who you are trying to reach?
The CV is part of a transactional process, over which we have little or no control. We are dealt with by organisations without any courtesy and the whole process, which is driven by the CV, is full of uncertainty and anxiety, leaving us feeling frustrated and sometimes utterly depressed. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a recruitment agency or an internal HR department. The CV gets processed pretty much the same way. In summary, the CV makes it easy, makes the users lazy, it’s a boring document and it is anything but comprehensive. It suits the intermediaries, but not us – the talented job hunter! Continue reading “Rip up Your CV and Start Networking!” »
When preparing for interview it’s easy to focus so much on preparing answers to questions that some of the softer skills, that may be just as important, are overlooked.
Career coach Steve Nicholls recently told us about the importance of talking to everybody you meet during the interview process, and here he shares with us a case study with some useful lessons about using social skills.
“When a prospective client called me to say they were bored in their current role, but weren’t sure what they wanted to do, it was music to my ears! Being a career change specialist I’m used to helping those looking for new career ideas, and thought “This is bread and butter to me”! I was to be proved wrong… Challenges lay ahead…
It transpired that she had been in the same middle management role for almost nine years, had gained some influence within the company, enjoyed the social aspects of the role but felt a little nervous in these situations (she worked for a private company funded by a government contract – an unusual situation in the UK). Her role meant she was able to attend senior level meetings, sit on some important internal groups, and have the general day to day line management role. She was “comfortable” I guess you could say.
She knew that she wanted a change but really had no idea where to start. We started to work through a Career Change Programme, but alongside this I was also coaching her slight lack of social confidence, as I was very aware that this element would probably be a feature in any future interview process. Continue reading “Keep It Social! – Using Social Skills During the Interview Process” »
There are many people currently searching for employment, so having the right skills to fit your perfect job is vital. Not only this, but jobseekers must have the skills required to pass the recruitment process. A key part of this process is online testing, which is becoming increasingly difficult.
We asked The Test Factory, a provider of bespoke online assessments, which are the five easily avoidable mistakes jobseekers make when completing online tests :
Skim Reading
One common mistake that jobseekers make is to skim the online recruitment test quickly instead of taking the time to read through the questions slowly and digest all of the information. In doing this, it is easy to make mistakes and choose incorrect answers, or misread the information on screen. It sounds obvious but in the panic of completing an online test it is easy to rush. To avoid this there is one simple solution. Slow down your reading pace by reading the words on screen out loud. Another way to avoid misreading information is to write down each question on a notepad to make sure the meaning is understood.
Careless Spelling
Some jobseekers don’t spend enough time thoroughly checking the correct spelling of the words typed into their online tests. This is a huge mistake as any potential employer will think the applicant doesn’t pay attention to details. To avoid making spelling errors, don’t rely on the test to recognise any mistakes and check the dictionary. Read through your answers carefully, paying close attention to every word. Reading out words as they are typed can also help with spelling. Continue reading “5 Common Mistakes Jobseekers Make During Online Tests” »
As the year draws to a close we’ve been looking back at the many posts that we’ve shared with you to see which have been the most popular and the most widely read. It helps to provide us with a snapshot of what jobseekers want to read and the type of advice they look for.
We usually find that most of you like reading blogs about covering letters, CVs and interviews, but it has been interesting this year to see the increasing popularity of posts concerning different aspects of online job hunting.
Here are five of the most read blogs – if you haven’t read them yet then now is a good time to catch up!
How to Write a Covering Letter
This is one of the most asked questions, and one of the most popular Google searches by jobseekers. It’s always tricky to get right, especially with letter writing potentially becoming a dying art! This comprehensive post tells you most of what you need to know!
Answer the 10 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions
Blogs and articles about interview preparation are always popular and this one, dealing as it does with the most frequently asked – and often trickiest to answer – questions was the interview oriented post that you read the most.
Protecting Yourself Online
With more job applications now being made and processed entirely online it makes sense to ensure that your details are as safe as possible. The simple guidelines contained in this, piece proved popular throughout the year. Continue reading “The Top 5 Career Advice Blogs You Read in 2011” »
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